Around a month ago my father was diagnosed with a severe case of Pneumonia. He fought extremely hard and clinically was making progress.

Unfortunately, on Monday night his heart had enough and it was his time.

Around a month ago my father was diagnosed with a severe case of Pneumonia. He fought extremely hard and clinically was making progress. Unfortunately, on Monday night his heart had enough and it was his time. pic.twitter.com/hJYjumvxjH

White underwent open heart surgery earlier in 2018, and – using his father’s account – Jesse tweeted about the serious situation at the time, explaining:

I wanted to let everybody know that I just spoke to the Surgeon. The surgery was a success but it was worse than we had expected.

Long road for recovery. Will keep you posted. Thank you for the prayers.

This is his son Jesse. I wanted to let everybody know that I just spoke to the Surgeon. The surgery was a success but it was worse than we had expected. Long road for recovery. Will keep you posted. Thank you for the prayers.

Saddened to hear of the passing of Leon White, aka Big Van Vader, aka Vader. If you only knew him from his WWE run, look into his prior work, too — such a dominant character and performer. One of the best "monsters" in wrestling history. pic.twitter.com/tZktYUA7Y7

I don't think there's any question that #Vader was the greatest super heavyweight of all time. Bar none. And at his peak, around 1992-93, I would argue that he was the most intimidating professional wrestler in history.

As Vader, White had incredible success, a three-time winner of both the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. He was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 1996.

Throughout his career, he went into the ring with fellow legends such as The Undertaker and Kane. He also had some success as an actor, giving a memorable recurring performance in Boy Meets World.

Despite being of large stature – he was 6 ft 4 in and 456 lb – White was surprisingly agile in the ring, astounding fans with his signature moves. He was well known for his his catchphrase, ‘It’s Vader Time.’

In a statement, WWE wrote the following message:

WWE is saddened to learn that Leon White, better known to WWE audiences as Vader, passed away Monday night at the age of 63.

WWE extends its condolences to White’s family, friends and fans.

WWE is saddened to learn that Leon White, better known to WWE audiences as Vader, passed away Monday night at the age of 63. https://t.co/UNIbdS680I